A BRIEF EXPLANATION OF HEBRAIC ROOTS AND OBEYING TORAH



At the time of the Apostle’s the church met on the Jewish Sabbath, which we know is Saturday. The Apostle’s taught out of the Old Testament. The epistle’s came much later. Everything the early believers did was Hebraic and the O.T. was the book they searched to see Jesus.

The epistle’s explained to Gentiles how Jesus shed blood was the ultimate sacrifice that saved them from the curse of the law or Torah. They were not taught to disobey the law or Torah, but to obey the law (1 John 5.1-3). If we love God we obey the Torah. That is walking in the spirit. We are not saved by obeying the law. We are saved by grace and the redeeming blood sacrifice (another O.T. principle) of Jesus death on the cross or altar--but we must practice righteousness not sin. These early believers were taught out of the Torah and the Tanakh. The epistle’s are explaining the O.T. and the grace that Jesus brings to set us free from the curse of the law.

We obey the law because we love Jesus and the Father. If we obey from a heart of love His yoke is easy and His burden is light. This is what Ezek 11.19-21 is talking about. The law brings discipline into our lives, but it cannot save us. We hide it in our hearts so that we will not sin against Him (Ps 119.11). This is a fraction of what the epistles are saying to the Gentiles. We can discuss much more.

As the centuries passed, the church fell away from the Hebraic roots. Paul would go into the synagogue first, use the O.T. to prove Jesus, some Jews would see and follow, the rest would kick him out and persecute him. Over time the “church” and Jews separated because the Jews hearts were hardened.

The church then began to persecute the Jews! They were the killer of Jesus. They were demons. By the time of Constantine some of the church had forsaken Saturday worship. When Constantine made Christianity the state religion that was the end of the true O.T. based church. Now pagans did not have to be born again, just born into! Constantine demanded all things Jewish be banned from the church and anyone who wouldn’t comply was a heretic.

The pagan holidays were embraced by the church and Passover was replaced by Easter. The Feast of Weeks by Pentecost. The winter solstice became Christmas. This was a high pagan holiday. So the feasts of the Lord (not Jews) became pushed to the side. (Lev 23.2, feasts of the Lord, not Jews). In the millennium we will celebrate Tabernacles for sure (Zechariah 14.16). This, as you can see is a radical departure if one returns to roots.

The history of the church toward Jews from that time forward was bloody indeed. The church often treated Jews like radical Muslims would treat an infidel. The overall treatment of the Jews by the church, even to this day is disgraceful. We have done nothing to “provoke the Jew to jealousy.” The Jew is anything but jealous when they observe Christians. (Not to say that no good things are happening today.)

Jews are very distrustful of Christians and for the last two thousand years have excellent reasons for feeling this way. The Hebraic roots movement is a movement among former mainline denominational Christians who have discovered their Hebraic roots and are approaching the Bible in that spirit of restoration. These are not former Jews, but mainline Christians.

We discover many things that have made the scriptures alive and much clearer based on Hebraic roots. Jesus was a Torah observing, rabbinic high priest, if we want to get technical. He fulfilled the law and expects us to obey the law by hiding it in our hearts, loving Him so much it is not a burden, understand we are saved by grace and not of the righteousness of the law, and so walk in the spirit.

The New Testament then, is commentary on the Torah and Tanakh. It is to both Jew and Gentile to understand the O.T. in the new covenant of salvation by grace. It does not free us from obeying the law. It frees us from the curse of the law. We are saved by grace.

The day is coming when the eyes of the Jew will be opened to this. The church is going to be required to “provoke the Jew to jealousy” by sacrificial acts of love. They will see Jesus in those Christians who understand Hebraic roots and who will be able to minister to them. That will be one of the roles of the church in the difficult days ahead.

The church is not yet a spotless bride. She is far from it. During this time of the end when the Jew and Gentile are coming together in Yeshua the church will become the spotless bride as she lays down her life for her brothers. The mystery of the two sticks coming together in Ezek 37.15-28 will be fully understood at that time. I have some understanding that I have shared on this blog. It is your responsibility to ask the Lord what to do with this message!